Safety-catch for jewelry.



L. E. LADD.

SAFETY GATGH FOR JEWELRY.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1912.

1,054,848, Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

INVENTOR WITNESSES:

.LOUIS E. LADD, or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

SAFETY-CATCH FOR JEWELRY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

Application filed May 15, 1912. Serial No. 697,392.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Louis E. LADD, a citizenof the United States, residing. at- Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Catches for Jewelry; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a safety device for jewelry and is particularly adapted to a pin catch for brooches and the like, the catch closing a hook by means of a guard, the guard being adapted to be swung to an open or closed position by the finger but locked against opening accidentally.

The invention comprises an improved type of guard with a positive locking means, and one in which the guard and hook cooperate to lock the guard.

The invention is further designed to provide a catch having a hook mounted ona base, which base is box-like. The base receives the guard, which guard is prevented from falling from the base by reason of the base being box-like, and the guard swings in the base without any pivotal connect-ion between the guard and the base so that the catch is made cheaper than the usual form of catch of this type, and the guard is provided with a spring nose which engages the hook portion by its own spring action so that the guard is held in its different positions without any play and it is also locked in its open and closed positions.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in Which Figure l is an end view of the catch mounted on a piece of jewelry, and Fig. 2 is a front view of the catch. Fig. 3 is a section of the hook portion showing the guard in elevation, the guard being shown in its opened position, and Fig. 4 is a perspective of the hook portion with its base before the guard is inserted therein.

The catch is adapted to any piece of jewelry-1O and consists of a base' 11, the base having a bottom 12, side-walls 13 and a back 14. I One of the walls of the box-like base, preferably the front wall 15, is usually bent down as shown in Fig. 4, preparatory secured to an article of jewelry, the inside of the base is protected from the entrance of solder, so that the action of the guard is in no way interfered with. The back 13 extends upward and terminates in a hook 16, the hook overhanging the box-like base and extending across the top thereof. The

back 14 has a slot 17 therein.

Seated in the box-like base is a guard which has its bottom 18 resting on the bottom of the base, the bottom 18 being preferably round so that the guard can more easily rock so that it can be swung. Extending upward from the bottom 18 is an arm 19 which is adapted to be swung across to close the opening between the hook and the base; A finger-piece20 extends from the guard back through the slot 17 and provides for the manipulation of the guard, the finger-piece acting to limit the forward swing of the guard as shown in Fig. 1, and a stud 21 on the arm 19 acting to limit the backward swing of the guard as shown in Fig. 3.

Bridging the space between the fingerpiece '20 and the arm 19 is a spring noseQQ, the spring nose preferably extending back from the arm 19 and having its top edge in engagement with the top edge of the slot 17 so that by its spring action the spring nose 22 engages the top edge of the slot and holds the guard in its open and closed positions and causes its operation without play so that the movement of the guard is steady.

The operation of the device is evident more particularly from Figs. 1 and 3, Fig. 1 showing the catch in its closed position with the end of the spring nose bearing against the end of the top edge of the slot and causing the application of pressure to the finger-piece to pull the guard so that it rocks on its base back to the position shown in Fig. 3.

The catch herein described is cheaply made, is quickly assembled, and provides a smoothly operating catch consisting of but two members.

It will be noted that the device is made without a pivotal pin for the guard, thereby overcoming the necessity of inserting such pin and finishing off its ends, and the absence of solder, the entrance of which is prevented by the box-like base, insures a smooth operation of the contacting portions of the bottom of the guard and the inside of the base.

Having thus described my invent-ion, what I claim is 1. A safety device for jewelry comprising a box-like base open at the top, the back thereof extending upward and over the base to form a hook, the back vhaving a slot therein, a guard within the box-like base and swinging therein, the guard having a finger to extend across the hook opening to close it, a finger-piece on the guard extending through the slot in "the back, and a nose on the front of the guard, the finger-piece and the nose engaging the back to limit the forward and rear movement of the guard.

2.. A safety device for jewelry comprising a base formed of a back, side-pieces and a bottom, the back beingslotted and extending upward terminating in a hook, a guard resting so as to swing on the bottom, an arm on the guard adapted to close the space between the base and the end of the hook,

a finger-piece extending through the slot in the back, and a front extending from the base, said front being bent up to close the base and confine the guard.

- 3. A safety device fonjewelry comprising a box-like base having one.of its walls bent to close it, the base having a hook overhanging it, and a guard mounted in the base and adapted toswing therein without any pivotal connection and adapted to close the hook opening when swung to its closed position.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing,

I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day 40 of April, 1912.

LOUIS E. LADD.

Witnesses:

WM. H. CAMFIELD,

M. A. JOHNSON. 

